About Us

The International Volleyball Hall of Fame

In 1971, the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce established an ad hoc committee for the purpose of promoting Holyoke, Massachusetts, birthplace of volleyball, as the future home of the Volleyball Hall of Fame (VHF).

In 1978, the committee incorporated as Holyoke Volleyball Hall of Fame, Inc., a nonprofit corporation established for the purpose of planning, promoting, establishing and maintaining a living memorial to the sport of volleyball.

The Volleyball Hall of Fame, at 444 Dwight St. in Holyoke opened to the public on June 6, 1987. A two-day volleyball tournament was hosted by the Volleyball Hall of Fame to celebrate the grand opening.

William G. Morgan, inventor of volleyball at the Holyoke YMCA in 1895, was honored posthumously as first inductee of Volleyball Hall of Fame in 1985. Morgan was physical director of the Holyoke YMCA in 1895 when he came up with the concept and rules for volleyball - a sport he envisioned as a less-physically taxing sport than basketball, one that middle-aged men could play during their lunch hour.

A total of 130 men and women from 22 countries around the world have since been inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame. The international appeal of the sport explains a shift in the pool of inductees since 1998. Since that time, inductees have come from around the world and contribute to the honoring of the sport and its home in Holyoke.

The International Volleyball Hall of Fame provides the opportunity to bring people from different cultures and different parts of the world together to celebrate the sport.

Our Mission

To preserve the history of volleyball in its birthplace of Holyoke, Massachusetts USA by honoring, promoting and sharing its story with the world.